Giovanni of Capestrano and Jan Brugman in a Manuscript of The Brothers of The Common life: The Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, MS 78 H 54

This article explores the presence and function of texts by two spokesmen of the Franciscan Observance sub vicaris, namely Giovanni of Capestrano (d. 1456) and Jan Brugman (d. 1473), within a religious miscellany most probably used – if not composed – by the Brothers of the Common Life in the house of Lüchtenhof (literally, ‘the court of light’), founded in 1440 in the neighbourhood of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony. The miscellany attests to the influence of these two prominent preachers beyond their religious order and beyond the geographic areas in which they had been active, thus showing the exchange and interconnection between different branches of the so-called Observant movement. The article first describes the miscellany by highlighting its probable connection with the Lüchtenhof community as well as the differentiated provenance of its texts. Next, it briefly discusses the section that includes Jan Brugman’s works. Finally, it focuses on two sermons of Giovanni of Capestrano, analysing in particular his sermon on spiritual armour and siege engines. Both texts stem from his 1452 preaching campaign in Leipzig. Their presence in this miscellany sheds light not only on the transnational fame of Giovanni of Capestrano, but also on his reputation as master of spiritual life among the Brethren of the Common Life.